Math 70 is an SCSU mad money racket

There are some core classes that are understandable for college students to take. English makes sense because students will need to properly write papers for other classes and in most jobs.

The speech class is also understandable for students to learn how to give presentations and speak clearly and concisely.

Then there are the joke core classes. Gym? After 12 years, are students really unaware of the need to exercise?

Democratic Citizenship was somewhat informational, but nothing much beyond what is taught in Social Studies and history in high school.

The philosophy class that is needed teaches students how to critically think, but if someone cannot think critically at the age of 18, they probably are not in college.

Yet, the real racket is math. Yes, I failed the placement exam and am in Math 70 this summer. I realize that math is important, but looking in my book at the chapters ahead I realized that Math 70 is sufficient for college students and anything beyond this is just nonsense and a waste of money for students not majoring in the sciences, economics or engineering.

Why on earth would I need to know how to do the following in the world of journalism: 9+-3{(2)x=-14-13x}; what is x? Will I ask this to a police officer or a musician or a politician or an athlete? Will such an equation come up when trying to crunch numbers in investigating racketeering stories? Perhaps, but most people would probably use a good old calculator.

Math 70 is enough for most college graduates to know when entering the professional world. What good would imaginary numbers do for an English major searching out teaching positions?

Of all the classes I have taken at SCSU, none required of me more than the basic use of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

I have had to use English and Speech techniques in many of my other classes, seeing that they require the ability to write a paper that made sense or give a presentation that didn’t sound like a muttering nervous wreck.

Even some of the persuasive argument techniques from philosophy has come in handy. Gym, Democratic Citizenship and Math have not been a major factor, and I have 116 credits under my belt and three years at SCSU.

There is no need to go beyond Math 70 unless one’s major requires such. Mass Communication majors probably will never use what they learn in Math 193 in their post graduation jobs.

There is even a saying among the Mass Comm. students, and even the English students, we got into the word business because we suck at numbers.

Now, for the teachers and students who think Math 193 is important for all students, I ask why? Students who appreciate it are probably going to actually utilize such a craft in their job fields and the teachers will say it is important because all students (by that, every student at SCSU) will need these skills (they won’t). Friends of mine who have graduated and have gotten high paying jobs have attested to me that what they learned in Math 193 has never been a part of their jobs.  

A lot of students who graduate will be able to figure out boring math equations, yet a lot of them will not be able to point to Iraq, Pakistan or Korea on a map. Will advanced math equations get a graduate a job? If the job is in engineering or the sciences, sure. But for the rest of us, chances they won’t.